Dell XPS 14 and XPS 15 Specs—In the Wild

Chinese tech site IT168 published purported details for Dell’s two upcoming Ultrabooks: The XPS 14 and XPS 15. Both ultrabooks are believed to be larger versions of XPS 13. However, the devices are said to feature Ivy Bridge processors, 8 GB of memory, HD+ or full HD displays, and NVIDIA discrete graphics.

Meet the Old and New XPS 14

An unannounced XPS 14 was spotted on Amazon earlier this year, and it appears that this recent leak confirms that Dell is working on a new ultrabook. The superthin laptop got an Intel Ivy Bridge processor, NVIDIA discrete graphics, 1600 x 900-pixels Gorilla Glass display, and 12 hours battery life. On the downside, the Dell XPS 14 only features 500 GB 5400 RPM of hard drive.

An old Dell XPS 14 was already released in 2010 in an attempt to revive the XPS laptop line. However, the company discontinued its production last year because it cannot qualify as an ultrabook with its 1.4-inch thickness.

The new XPS 14 is now 0.71-inch thick and weighs only 3 pounds, and features Ivy Bridge Core i5 processor. A thinner and lighter model was made possible after Dell ditched the optical drive.

A Sneak Peek on the Dell XPS 15

On the other hand, XPS 15 will have a 1920 x 1080-pixel full HD display, NVIDIA GT 640M graphics card, and 2 GB of video memory. Its hard drive storage is a large 1 TB HDD/256 SSD, and it also sports a slot-loading optical drive. Although the latter is unusual for ultrabooks these days, it only shows that the XPS 15 is meant for entertainment buffs.

Both XPS 14 and XPS 15 feature backlit keyboards, battery life of at least eight hours, HDMI port and USB 3.0. The ultrabooks are constructed of aluminum and carbon fiber materials for light weight and sturdiness.

Although pricing was not mentioned at IT168, the Core i5 XPS 14 posted on Amazon is tagged at $1200. So it is safe to assume that the enhanced XPS 14 and XPS 15 will cost $100-300 more.

With the release of new MacBook Pro and a refreshed MacBook Air last week, it appears that the ultrabook field is getting more and more crowded. This time, instead of low price, it seems that Dell’s XPS 14 and XPS 15 will be competing on solid specs and performance. However, the company needs to make sure that these devices will see the light of day first.